


Sweet Fighter 2020

by Pikkington



Category: Street Fighter
Genre: All ships will be tagged, Drabbles, F/F, F/M, Gen, If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, birdiexeagle, charliexchun-li, gill/kolin, hi so I'm new at this, most of these aren't shippy but you know, please forgive me if this goes poorly, sakuraxkarin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:28:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 5,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22520248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pikkington/pseuds/Pikkington
Summary: A collection of sweets-themed Street Fighter prompts.  Each chapter will be a different day, ending on Valentine's Day.  All of these works are minimally edited, so you will see an error or two.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	1. Day 1: Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaah okay so I've never participated in one of these and actually submitted them before, so I'm really hoping this goes well! First day is just some nice Elena and Dudley friendship.

“Something wrong, Elena?”  
She and Dudley were playing chess in the parlor, and this was the seventh or eighth time he caught her staring into the fire. The fire crackled merrily as it bit into the fir logs.  
“Is it getting too late? Perhaps we can finish this game another time.”  
“Oh, no! I'm fine, I'm just thinking, that's all,” she said, playing with the top of her surviving rook.  
“What are you thinking about, then?”  
“The Chunnel trip, mostly,” she said, and briefly made a face. She then laughed. “I don't like all that concrete. It'd be something else if I had scenery to look at it. And, well, I'm sorely disappointed about the fact that chocolate eggs aren't sold year-round here.”  
She smiled to show she wasn't really upset. She then moved her rook, back-tracked, and moved a pawn a little farther into enemy territory. Dudley took it out with his bishop.  
“Is that what you were looking for?” Dudley chuckled as she took out his bishop with a different pawn.  
“Yep.”  
“Check.”  
She moved her king to the right. His bishop followed.  
“Guess they aren't in season yet,” she commented, surveying the board for a potential escape. “It's a shame chocolate doesn't travel well, I could just ask you to ship some home for me.”  
She moved her queen, but that was taken out by a knight that she had completely forgotten about.  
“Checkmate,” Dudley said, leaning back in his chair.  
“Good game.”  
They shook hands. She then stood up and stretched.  
“I guess I'll call it a night. Thank you again for letting me stay.”  
“The pleasure is mine, my dear. You have a good night.”  
“Night.”  
She went to her room with one last wave. Dudley sat up, and began fixing the board. As he did, he called for Ortho.

Elena had a penchant for waking up early, and it was no different when she was on vacation. At seven AM, the sun finally over the horizon, she was taking her bags to the high, wrought-iron gates to wait for the taxi when Dudley called her over, a small, decorative basket in hand. The rim was covered in flowers, and sitting inside a nest made of paper napkins...  
“Chocolate eggs!” she exclaimed. She threw her arms around him, almost knocking the basket out of his grasp. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!”  
Dudley hugged her back with one arm. When she finally pulled away, he handed her the basket. She teased one of the roses out, and stuck it in her hair.  
“A little greenery for you as well. Perhaps it will make the trip a little less dreary,” Dudley said.  
“You're too kind,” Elena said. “I will have to find a way to repay you some day.”  
The taxi pulled up. Elena glanced over her shoulder, but wouldn't go without another hug and sharing two of her eggs with Dudley and Ortho.


	2. Day 2: Lollipops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I associate lollipops with Falke (I blame the staff), but I had trouble with this one until I remembered her winquote against Birdie. Enjoy!

_“Food is first and foremost for nourishment.”_  
It had been hammered into her head since day one. You only ate when you needed to, it had to meet your body's requirements, and absolutely nothing of excess was allowed. Shadaloo ran a tight ship, and the branch she trained under was no different. Even though she had left that life behind, it was hard to diverge from this strict regiment; managing to succeed usually left her with a feeling of guilt so bad she'd only eat one or two sweets out of the box or bag she bought and Ed had the rest.  
“No more,” she thought, and put the bag of discounted lollipops into the cart. She kept it in for the whole trip, and even managed to take it home.

“Score!” Ed exclaimed as he unpacked the bag with lollipops in them. “I didn't even have to ask you!”  
“I think we've earned it,” Falke said.  
She set them aside on the kitchen table, and once they finished putting everything away, Ed tore open the bag. Falke received a blue one, while Ed unwrapped red.  
“Cheers,” Falke said, and they tapped the lollipops together.  
Falke almost had hers in her mouth when Ed bit down on his sucker, cracking the little candy orb into a dozen pieces. He chewed on the pieces like hard candy until he saw Falke staring.  
“What?”  
“You're supposed to suck on them.”  
“Why would I do that? It takes too long.”  
“It's what you're supposed to do with lollipops! Why do you think they're sometimes called 'suckers'?”  
“I don't know, who thinks about that stuff?”  
“It melts in your mouth!”  
“So does chocolate, you bite that!”  
“Please tell me you eat jawbreakers like you're supposed to.”  
Ed didn't respond. He chewed on his lollipop shards, then paused to work a piece out of his molar.  
“Ed, _oh my God._ ”  
“It's in the name, Falke! It's a challenge!”  
“It's not a challenge!” she laughed, unable to help herself. “Who taught you that?”  
“No one did, I just figured...”  
Falke was laughing harder now, her lollipop lying forgotten near her. Ed reached for it, only for Falke to snatch it out of his reach and pop it into her mouth.  
“See? Watch me, I'll show you how to do it right.”  
“I'm telling you, it takes too long.” He unwrapped another lollipop. “See? Second sucker. Easy.”  
He bit on that, despite the remains of the red lolly still packed in a couple of his teeth.  
“You're going to break your teeth.”  
“Prove it,” he said.  
Falke just smiled and shook her head, very glad she had bought these after all.


	3. Day 3: Doughnuts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/74263882

Birdie was not a routine person. Routines, especially training routines, bored him. You were supposed to do the same thing over and over again, and be motivated by it? He could beat Kanzuki's ninjas but not Kanzuki herself, he could scare off transient salesmen but not the Kasugano girl...the only person he really had any fun training with was Ibuki just because it was fifty-fifty odds he would win, but she wasn't around much anymore because of school, and if it wasn't school it was looking into that technicolor weirdo claiming to be a savior and fighting anyone with a video camera and a pulse. Birdie didn't see why he was even registering as a threat: as least Bison's claims of power made sense. Who took the Illuminati seriously, anyway?  
Birdie reflected on this as he practiced the only routine he truly enjoyed. It was Monday, six in the morning, time to make the doughnuts as the commercials used to say. The only doughnut shop he considered a real doughnut shop had been open for about an hour by now (he liked his doughnuts sweet, and the local offerings in Japan just didn't cut it for him). He went in and requested his usual: a box of doughnuts, any kind as long as there was one with chocolate icing and another with strawberry crème. He'd pay for it himself (Kanzuki had eyes like a hawk and she'd know if he'd been using the company's credit card), then walk about a block to a scrap metal yard. 3,000 yen for as much as you could carry. Well, maybe the sign said that.  
There was a metal pole at the edge of the yard, its original purpose unclear. Next to it was a large, wooden spool that once held cable. He set the doughnuts on that, then a can of polish and a time-worn rag. The only building on the premises had some cardboard boxes stacked neatly next to it, and Birdie took one and ripped it in half. He went back to his pole, set the pieces on the ground, one on top of the other, and undid his chains. One set was laid on the spool without much care, while the other was dropped onto a cardboard sheet. The other came down on top of it, held together with his boot, and after popping a doughnut into his mouth, he began to polish his chains. He would work out scuffs and blood, and check for nicks in the metal. If there weren't any, he'd test the chain against the pole. If it caught and held, even after a hearty yank, then it was one last touch-up and on to the next. He never timed the process. He knew he'd finish before he was needed, and that's all that mattered. Waking up this early was worth it because it was only time he could be alone. Oh, and the doughnuts. He loved them fresh. A little reward for making it through last week, and a pick-me-up for the one ahead, because Kanzuki was going to try out some new technique on him, he was sure. All for whatever rich guy was visiting next.  
When he finished and there only two doughnuts left in the box (chocolate icing and strawberry crème), he fixed his chains, packed up, and headed for Kanzuki Estate. He left the box on a table in the dining room and went back to his room, but not before checking the rafters, because Kanzuki surprised him like that once and he still hadn't forgiven her.


	4. Day 4: Cotton Candy

“I see you haven't changed, Juri.”  
“And what, like you...” Juri saw Seth's pretty new grin and deviously shining eyes. “Ugh. Whatever.”  
The overturned food cart caught, and burst into flame. Seth watched it with placid amusement.  
“You know, I'm sure doing a lot when you were the one that wanted to do this. Chicken out?”  
“No,” they said pleasantly, looking around.  
A gift store selling themed merchandise currently had a brightly-colored, charmingly antique streetlamp run through its picture window. Near it was a tipped-over trolley. The ticket booth's glass lay in front of it, at least four other little food carts were overturned in addition to the one blazing behind them, and the street was littered with backpacks, purses...anything the tourists could leave behind they did. Strollers skewed in odd corners, maps and souvenir photos blowing in the gathering wind. Beyond the burning cart was the rest of the little amusement park, people no doubt huddled in ride buildings and cutesy bistros when they couldn't escape through the main exit. The possibilities were endless: outdoor eating suddenly, violently inside, grease fires, gas fires, lighting the roller coaster carts on fire and have them run on an endless loop until they fell apart or took the track up with them, fireworks so grand it was like city smog. They weren't out to kill, not yet; whoever arrived first, be it Shadaloo or Interpol, would be the final test of their new body. Right now, they just wanted to cause chaos.  
They thought briefly of severing the cables on the octopus ride just enough to keep them dangling and then turning the machine on when Juri said,  
“So what am I supposed to call you?”  
“Seth. Nothing has changed.”  
“Not that.” Juri rolled her eyes. “Are you still a 'he' or what?”  
Seth followed her line of vision, then deliberately shifted their weight so she could see more of their butt. “Like what you see?” they asked with a grin.  
Juri 'tch!'ed loudly, and looked away. Seth chuckled.  
“Use any pronoun you wish. I'm beyond them.”  
Juri thought. She walked over to the cotton candy machine she was looking at, took two bags off the display hooks, and kicked it over. She gave Seth the dark yet somehow garishly purple one, and kept the light blue one for herself.  
“They,” she said, taking a tongueful of cotton candy. “Work for you?”  
“So long as you remember my name, yes.” Seth teased a bit of cotton candy out and popped it into their mouth. “Come. Let's make this date interesting. I want to destroy the Ferris wheel.”  
“Excuse you, date?” Juri repeated, pink blush creeping into her cheeks. “Who said that?”  
“I assumed, since you were undressing me with your eyes,” Seth said with a wry smile. “Don't bother, I'm still thoroughly repulsed by your personality.”  
They began walking toward the Ferris wheel, still lit up in neon rainbow colors. Watching them spark and sputter out would be beautiful.  
“Big words coming from the person with their back to me.”  
“It's to give you a fair shot.”  
Seth caught the kick a mere inch from their face, but it was still a kick that did not land.


	5. Day 5: Milkshake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's going to be shorter than the rest, I'm a little tired. Enjoy!

“Why do you two have to make everything a competition?”  
Eliza watched with a mix of annoyance and bemusement as her husband and his best friend inhaled their milkshakes, both determined to be the first to finish. This was all because she had told Mel to slow down and enjoy his, and that eating it so fast would hurt his stomach. Ryu disagreed with the latter statement, and that snowballed almost too quickly into a contest. She had given up dissuading Ken from fighting early in the relationship, even with little things like this.  
Ken made a quick, familiar gesture: I heard you sweetie, and I'll address it as soon as I win. He did this without taking his eyes off Ryu, who was focused more on his mochi-flavored milkshake. If that really did taste good, she'd have to ask for the recipe...  
Ken's fist struck the table, rattling their glasses. His face was screwed up in pain around the straw. Ryu's head hit the table, arms flying around his stomach; at the same time, Ken was down, too.  
“Stomachache?”  
“Brain freeze,” Ken groaned.  
Eliza smiled to herself.  
“Did you see who won?” Ryu asked, not looking up.  
“Neither of you did.”  
“We don't tie,” Ken said. “Seriously, I can take it. Did Ryu win?”  
“This is your first tie. Neither of you finished.”  
Eliza took Ken's glass and spooned out some of the chocolate. Ken opened his mouth to argue, but instead he groaned.  
“Why did I agree to this?” Ryu muttered.  
“No clue,” Eliza said around her ice cream.


	6. Day 6: Macaroons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter has a little blood and swearing in it.

Vega's claw came down on Balrog's hand, just enough to bite but not draw blood. Balrog flinched, the tip of the claw furrowing his skin; he hadn't heard Vega enter.  
“Don't scare me like that!” he exclaimed.  
He pulled his hand free, ignoring the new scratches. Vega withdrew the claw, but didn't relax. His eyes briefly glanced to the tray of macaroons, saw they were all still there, and looked at Balrog.  
“What's your problem? I was just gonna have one.”  
“I made those for me.”  
“There's like thirty of them there, you can't spare one?” Balrog snorted in disbelief. “Didn't your mom ever teach you to share?”  
Vega's nostrils flared. A look of sheer anger crossed his face.  
“Getting your panties in a bunch over that? I didn't call her ugly or anything.”  
The claw tore open his face, missing an eye by inches.  
“What the hell!” he exclaimed.  
He threw a jab, then two when Vega blocked the first. He stepped on his foot, then slammed a fist into his jaw. Balrog was in for a real fight now, he knew, one little bruise was enough to send Vega into an ego-fueled rage.  
Vega kicked him, but Balrog saw it coming and jumped back. Vega sprang to his feet and slashed blindly, falling short. Balrog moved in with a punch, but Vega sidestepped it and slashed Balrog's thigh. He fell to his knees, and Vega knocked him all the way down with a swift kick to his butt. He shook the blood off his claw with an experience flick of the wrist, put it back on his belt, and took the tray.  
“All that for a stupid dessert...what the hell's wrong with you?” Balrog forced out. He was pushing himself up with one hand, the other clamped firmly on his bleeding thigh.  
Vega glanced back. There was a look Balrog had never seen before. He couldn't figure out. Usually Vega loved watching people bleed, but now there was this weird flat look, like he wasn't paying attention, but that wasn't quite right, either. He didn't figure it out, because Vega turned his head and left through the door.  
“What's your problem?” he asked, knowing he wouldn't be heard.


	7. Day 9: Cake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fell behind on a couple of prompts, but I intend to go back and finish day 7 and 8 once the event is over. But on the plus side, you get two chapters at once!

The click of high heels preceded the slam of the ill-fitting screen door. Roxy rushed in with a dented paper box in her arms.  
“Where's Abigail?”  
“Outside, I told him those kids were back. Did you get it?” J asked.  
“Yeah, but I dropped it getting out of the cab...”  
Roxy opened the box. Though a good deal of icing was smeared on the top of the box, the cake still looked like a sugary replica of the monster truck currently parked in the garage. The front was crumpled, the icing cracking up to the windshield.  
“Oh, that's not terrible,” Axl said, peering over J's shoulder. “When you said you dropped it, I thought it'd be ruined.”  
“I don't think it'd matter, I've seen him eat stuff off the floor.”  
“I told you about the five second rule!” Abigail exclaimed, making them all jump. He slammed the door leading out to the hills of wrecked cars and shipyard refuse. “Whatcha got there?”  
“Just a little surprise,” Roxy said, offering the cake box.  
“We've been operating for two years now! But, uh, the shop will be closed on the real anniversary, so we thought we'd celebrate now,” Axl added.  
Abigail caught Axl and J in a bear hug. Roxy could hear their spines crackle.  
“You guys!” he roared. “You're too nice! I'm glad I kept you around!”  
He laughed, and dropped them. Abigail took the box and opened it. He was still smiling, but there was now a puzzled expression behind it. Puzzled and...devastated?  
“Is everything all right, boss?” Roxy asked.  
“Yeah.” But tears were already running down his face. “But why'd ya get me a _crashed_ car?”  
“Oh no, boss, I just dropped it on the way here...”  
“I can't fix a cake car!” Abigail sobbed.  
“Yeah, but think of the _other_ car!” Axl said quickly, leaning on his boss's arm. He pointed to the mushed bumper. “Yeah, your truck's got a little fender bender, but that other car that hit you? Decimated.”  
“Flat as a pancake,” J added.  
Abigail sniffed. He looked back at the cake. For a moment none of them knew what to think (J mentally preparing himself for a punch), but then Abigail smoothed out the cracked icing on the front with one grease-stained finger.  
“Yeah. Just a scrape in the paint. I'd have to look at the engine and the front axles just to be sure, but it's nothing I can't do,” he said, a big smile spreading across his face. “I change my mind, this is a great anniversary gift!”  
Roxy let out a sigh of relief. “I'm glad, boss.”  
“You, uh, didn't happen to get the plates of the guy I hit, did you? Bwahaha! I'm kidding! The truck's wearing them like a belt buckle!”  
He took a smear of white that had once been exhaust and painted it on the front of the car. He showed his employees, then went to look for plates. Axl took out his hunting knife and begin cutting the car into pieces.  
“Next time you really drop a cake, we'll just say that's the car this one hit,” he said to Roxy.


	8. Day 10: Ice Cream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a while back I thought it would be funny to ship Eagle and Birdie...and well, I fell for it hard. It's definitely one-sided, but I like the idea of Eagle falling for Birdie despite being the antithesis of everything he stands for.

Get up, you lout! We're not done!”  
“Yes, you are.”  
Karin Kanzuki and Dudley had returned. Eagle shut off his stun batons and bowed at the waist. Birdie stood up and wiped blood from under his nose.  
“Care to explain what happened?” Karin asked.  
“He wanted a proper Kanzuki welcome,” Birdie said. “You can ask him yerself.”  
Eagle was surprised when Dudley waved it away.  
“If you didn't injure yourselves too badly, you're welcome to join us for dessert,” Karin said.  
“Awright! I've been waiting for this all day!” Birdie exclaimed.

Dessert was ice cream served in frosted glasses. Slender, elegant spoons sat on cloth napkins next to them.  
“I'm truly sorry my bodyguard attacked yours,” Dudley said, sure to glance at Eagle to show he was included in the conversation. “He's very good at his job, he can just be a little...eager, I suppose.”  
“I take my job very seriously, sir,” Eagle said.  
“Birdie's not really my bodyguard,” Karin said, hazel eyes flicking to Birdie's. “He's more...hired help.”  
“I can tell,” Eagle said.  
“What's that supposed to mean?” Birdie asked, eyes narrowed.  
“Don't fight at the table, or you'll be paying for whatever breaks,” Karen said.  
They resigned to eating after that. Eagle's eyes kept wandering over to Birdie, who was devouring his dessert with gusto. It was amazing he didn't have an ice cream headache yet. The way he ate, it was no wonder his stomach was so large. His eyes jumped down, and saw the brown hair creeping across the curve of it. His hair was dyed. A shame. It had felt so soft when he had grabbed it, he had assumed...  
 _“None of that now,”_ Eagle thought, and forced his attention back on his ice cream.  
Still, the fight lingered with him. Birdie was repulsive, rude, and yet Eagle relished the thought of being dragged closer by his chains and being inches from his face, even though it ended with a rather brutish headbutt.  
Metal clinked against glass briefly; Birdie was now scooping what he could out of the narrow bottom of the glass. There was vanilla ice cream speckled on his lip, and for one moment Eagle could easily imagine himself kissing it off. There would be a lot to kiss...  
“I never said you couldn't fight,” Karin said, pulling Eagle away. “I must warn you, though, the glasses are imported crystal. I'm sure your employer pays you handsomely, but you must consider if it's worth it.”  
“Pardon, ma'am?”  
“You keep looking at him. What else would you be doing but scanning for weaknesses?”  
“Good luck mate, I don't have any,” Birdie said.  
Dudley, however, smiled a knowing smile. “You have my permission to spar, but someplace where we can enjoy our dessert and you can enjoy the fight.”  
“Yeah, wouldn't want to get ice cream all over me,” Birdie said.  
Two thoughts, one right after the other:  
 _“I wouldn't mind.”  
“Oh, shut _up _.”_


	9. Day 11: Fruit Tart/Desserts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, I have eaten this tart. It's super delicious, and much better if you put the thing in the fridge if you can't want for it to set. I figured Chun-Li would like it, too.

Chun-Li dug her keys out, feeling a little annoyed; how many times had Charlie asked her schedule for today, and he still wasn't waiting at the door for her? She knew he was planning something, and while she didn't know what, she still expected some kind of surprise at the door. Still, she thought, maybe it was some sort of surprise that occupied both hands and going to open the door would ruin it.  
Her apartment wasn't decorated any different, and not much had been moved aside from a throw cushion on the couch. The remote was out of place, too. It was very out of character for him to watch TV.  
“Hello?” she called, not really expecting a response. Either that or a very American, “nee-how!”  
He heard the soft hiss of his voice, probably uttering an expletive, and he stepped into the doorway of the kitchen a moment later. She saw his eyes glance to the clock on the wall.  
“Lose track of time again?”  
He nodded sheepishly.  
“How was work?” he asked.  
“Awful,” she said, setting her purse on the end table, then putting the remote with it. “Lost track of F.A.N.G, again. We lost him somewhere in Hong Kong. I'm convinced he's moving toward Thailand, but the country's been scrubbed of...”  
She led off, half-deliberate, half-not. It was nice talking about work some, but she knew certain topics could set Charlie off, even if he didn't want to admit it. Another part of it was she crossed to use the bathroom and caught the faintest whiff of coffee.  
“What are you cooking?”  
“Nothing.”  
But he was really blocking the door now. He didn't move when she approached.  
“You know I can kick your butt, right?”  
“I'd like to see you try,” he said with the tiniest smile.  
She pretended to punch him, feeling the unyielding muscle under her knuckles, then gave him a swift push on the sternum, startling him out of the door.  
Sitting on the oven was a runny tart. It was chocolate, with strawberries sitting atop a waterfall of chocolate sauce. Despite the plate set under it, some had spilled over the tart and onto the stove  
top.  
“What's this for?” Chun-Li asked.  
“Work's been bugging you, so I thought you'd like a treat,” Charlie said. “It's, uh, not supposed to run like that, I was hoping it would finish cooling before you got home.”  
“Can we eat it now?” she asked.  
“Oh! Yeah, but it might be messy.”  
“That's okay. What a great thing to come home to.”  
She hugged him quickly but tightly. He kissed her as a response.  
“Although, I think I should get the first slice, considering you attacked me...” he teased.  
“I will fight you for it.” She didn't.


	10. Day 12: Pocky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet. On an unrelated note, is the candy itself called 'pocky' or is just the brand?

“Hey, Karin!”  
Addressing her so casually was typically met with a swift punch, but it was Sakura, so it was allowed. She was back from work, still in her garish uniform, the little green troll swinging off her belt. In her hand was a box of candy.  
“Before we fight today, I want to try something. I learned it at work.”  
She opened the little box, and slid out a single pocky stick.  
“The name of the game is to eat as much of a stick as you can before your opponent,” she said. “You want to try?”  
“Absolutely. I never back down from a challenge,” Karin said.  
“Okay, here, get closer...which end do you want, chocolate or biscuit?”  
Once they had it figured out, Karin was inches from Sakura's face, the top of the pocky in her teeth. Sakura had the uncovered end in hers.  
“Ready...go!”  
Her co-worker had told her the intention of the 'game' was a kiss, and while typically both parties knew about it, Sakura thought it would be fun to surprise Karin. After all, the overly-competitive Karin would never see it coming, and the look on her face would be both funny and cute.  
Instead, Karin let go of her end, chomped down about two centimeters past, and snapped the candy near the very end by adjusting her head just so, leaving Sakura with the little biscuit dangling on her lips like a spent cigarette. Karin gripped her portion of pocky like a rose.  
“I believe I win this one. Though, I think I'll leave it off our official victory counter,” she said, then laughed.  
“You were...supposed to kiss me...” Sakura said, still shocked.  
“Yes, of course. You did wonderfully.” And she kissed her on the lips, stealing the last bit of pocky as she did.


	11. Day 13: Candy Alt Costume

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, 'candy alt costume' is a little tough to represent with words, at least for me, so I treated this more as a free space starring the Illuminati trio.

The walls of the antechamber leading into Gill's office weren't soundproofed, and while they could block a good deal of sound, enough to keep any top-secret projects and events from prying ears unless they pressed themselves against the door (and they wouldn't dare do it with Kolin present at her desk, and she was always present if someone was there). Typically these were discussed at a reasonable volume, so even pressing one's ear against the door wouldn't warrant an accurate conversation, with words mumbled or lost altogether, but every once in a while, and always when Urien had a meeting with the emperor, a phrase or two would make it past the door with crystal clarity.  
“I am like dark chocolate, only those with a sophisticated palette can enjoy me!”  
Kolin's head turned immediately to the door, a quizzical expression on her face. She glanced at the door leading out, then stood up carefully, walked around her desk, and pressed an ear against the door.  
“I am not! It's an acquired taste, or, if you're truly refined, the complexity is fully appreciated on the first bite. That is why most people hesitate to even flirt with me. You, on the other hand, are too accessible.”  
He said this with the same tone as when he described Ivan, the head accountant in Weapons Development, as the village bicycle. Kolin grimaced.  
“Everyone likes you, so they have no interest in you beyond that. No one wants to know the real you.”  
“So, what, does this make me regular chocolate?” Gill replied. She could hear the humor in his voice, and relaxed.  
“No. More like...” Urien paused, looking for the right word, and Kolin felt glad. “Cotton candy. Everyone likes it, but do you see them going out of their way for more when they're finished?”  
Gill chuckled. “I'm cotton candy now.”  
“Yes. The other option are those red and blue Popsicles. Or shaved iced. But neither of those really count as dessert.”  
“I beg to differ, they're sugary and offer no nutritional value.”  
“It's frozen water and food coloring, it doesn't count.”  
Kolin returned to her desk, deciding the conversation was going nowhere. Oh, but how stupid Urien sounded! She wondered what brought this on. Urien's meetings with Gill did tend to segue away from business (they were brothers, after all), but this was borderline absurd. How long would it take them to start comparing sizes?  
Her new train of thought was interrupted when the door to the office opened. Gill leaned out, his right hand extended away from him.  
“Kolin, if you could, tell my next appointment I may be late.” A brown hand came into view, reaching for Gill's hair, but he cocked his head and moved just out of range. “By the way, do you have an opinion of shaved ice?”  
“I like it well enough, but I much prefer pastries.”  
“Would you consider it a dessert?”  
“I would.”  
Gill nodded, giving her a tiny smile that was only partially ruined by the furious, “oh you're next, girl!” coming from the office. Gill pushed Urien away, and before he shut the door, he gave Kolin a knowing smile, one she returned in kind.


	12. Day 14: Your Favorite Character

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I begin, this one needs a little context: this fic takes place in an AU where Charlie has been revived a second time, and while he's not decaying anymore, there's still other problems he has to deal with, like PTSD from dying twice and internalized ideas planted by a certain Illuminati secretary...

Charlie entered the kitchen, and was momentarily thrown by the huge bouquet of roses sitting in a bright yellow vase on the table. A large box of chocolates sat in front of it, with a smaller one sitting at Amy's place. He stood there, utterly confused, until it occurred to him that it was either Valentine's Day or Guile and Julia's anniversary but that was in...July, or August, and with the snow on the ground, it was an easy guess to which it was.  
Charlie made himself breakfast and took his place at the kitchen table. He had to move the roses a little so the scent wouldn't suffocate himself, and when he did, he noticed a bar of chocolate sitting in front of him. The packaging was done up in Valentine's style while still retaining the original look for its customers. He moved it away and began to eat.  
A short while later, Guile came down. When he had his coffee and breakfast, he sat down across from Charlie. He noticed the chocolate bar, and pushed it toward him.  
“That's yours.”  
“Huh? Why?”  
“Well, you're a member of the family, and you deserve somethin' too.”  
Charlie was a little confused. He looked at the candy bar again. He wasn't the biggest fan of sweets, but it was a nice gesture all the same. He opened his mouth to thank him when he saw the writing at the bottom of the wrapper.  
Dark chocolate.  
He picked it up to make sure he read it properly.  
“Thank you,” he said, not looking away from the bar. “How did you remember I don't like...”  
Guile waved it away. “You remember stuff about people you care about. Hey, remember that time we were with Chun-Li? I still laugh thinking of her face when you said...hey, is everything okay?”  
“Yeah,” Charlie said quickly. He wiped his eyes, but more tears took their place. “Shit, I'm sorry, I'm just...”  
He had made one off-hand comment about it years ago, at some little convenience store somewhere in the world, and Guile still remembered. Even years after his death, he still remembered. He cried harder, and Guile went to comfort him.  
“Is everything alright?” Guile asked. “It's just some candy.”  
It was more than that, he wanted to articulate, but it sounded cheesy even in his head. He sniffed.  
“I'm just happy you remembered,” he said around the lump in his throat, forcing a smile as he exhaled a little too loudly. “I'm sorry, I'm crying over the dumbest thing.”  
Guile seemed to understand. He hugged Charlie tightly, and he hugged back. When they pulled apart, Charlie wiped his eyes and picked up the chocolate bar.  
“Here.” He opened it, and snapped a section of bars off. He handed it to Guile, then snapped off some for himself. “I haven't been able to share in a while.”  
“You sure?”  
“Positive. If you really hate it, I can take it back,” he said, smiling.  
They both bit off a square. A wave of sad nostalgia hit Charlie as he savored it, letting it melt in his mouth.  
“Are you feeling better?” Guile asked.  
“Yeah. I am.”  
He wanted to say he needed this. To know someone still cared. But he couldn't. He settled for giving Guile a quick one-armed hug, hoping he'd understand.


End file.
